Brighter Tomorrows by Beverly Wells Page A

Royale.” 
    “Miss Lynch, I see I’ll have to convince you otherwise.”
    Callie stiffened in defense. If it wasn’t for his slight grin, she would’ve slammed the door and bolted the lock. Instinct told her there was no threat.
    “You see, you’d be helpin’ the law by lettin’ me stay here. And I need to stay here so I can walk the main road several times every day without people wonderin’ why. If you’d come outside so we can talk, we could discuss it further. Talkin’ through the screen is a bit difficult if you don’t mind me sayin’ so.”
    She winced in embarrassment. Her inquisitiveness spiked tenfold. “I beg your pardon, Mr. Tate. I hadn’t thought our conversation would be so lengthy. Please, make yourself comfortable on one of the chairs. I’ll gather us some lemonade and won’t be a minute.”
    “That won’t be necessary. I need to talk to some other people shortly, so if you wouldn’t mind coming out, we could talk, quick like, Miss Lynch.”
    Beneath his unbuttoned suit jacket he wore a holster with a gun resting low on each hip. But those twinkling blue eyes and smile held no malevolence. He had mentioned helping the law. That had to count. She would hear him out, then send him on his way and her life could return to normal.
    ♥ ♥ ♥
    As she pushed the door open, Chase opened it further. Good manners were called for. Once she sat, he wiggled his butt in the wicker chair to readjust the thin cushion. Obviously the pad had been fashioned to suit a slighter person. Miss Lynch wasn’t necessarily small, maybe five-eight, and nicely rounded in all the right spots, but hardly equaled half his weight. And she was as leery as a doe facing a double-barreled shotgun.
     
     
     
    Chapter Two
     
    They faced each other across the small wicker table. “Mr. Tate, let’s cut to the chase to make it simple. Why is it necessary for you to stay here?”
    His eyes twinkled and a slight grin surfaced, as if he found her directness humorous. For five years, Callie had strengthened her backbone, lived by her rules, and valued friends above all else. 
    He nodded and leaned back. “For the time being, I need to keep my true identity a secret to everyone, other than the few in town who know who I am and why I’m here. I’ll tell you if you’ll give me your word you’ll not divulge anything I say until my job is finished.”
    Nothing existed that was more intriguing than a secret—and a plot to go with it. That’s why Callie’s one vice in life consisted of reading dime novels with suspense, twists, villains and the heroes who saved the day.
    She took a calming breath. “I assure you, if it’s not against the law, and you said I’d be helping the law, I certainly won’t divulge your name or purpose. Please, do tell, Mr. Tate.” 
    He scrutinized her. Was he judging her words for merit? “It’s been a long time since I’ve gone by ‘mister’. It’s U.S. Marshal Matlock—Chase Matlock.”
    She let the words, title, and enormity of it all sink in. Holy smoke and cows jumping over the moon! She had been telling herself she needed something in her humdrum life to add a bit of zing. Who would have thought something as deliriously tantalizing as a marshal on a covert mission in her town would fall in her lap? Thank you, Fairy Godmother!
    She started to speak and stopped before she let go a roaring ‘whoop-de-doo’. She composed herself. “You need to stay at my home because…”
    “Outlaws are goin’ to visit the bank soon. I need to scout the town several times a day to listen, see if others are joinin’ them, and set up plans with my team without the locals questionin’ why I’m meanderin’ around town too often. That’s what could happen if I stay at the hotel. If I stay here, no one will think twice about me comin’ and goin’.”
    Her mind whirled like a cumulative cyclone, yet sounded like music to her ears. She’d have extra money, be aiding the law, and have a fine time